According to the National Weather Service, a cooling trend is expected this weekend due to low pressure moving into Central California. As of Thursday afternoon, the weather service predicted a small dip to around 96 degrees in Sonora Saturday and Sunday, and temperatures are expected to continue trending down early next week.
That will bring some relief to the foothills, where thermometers have been surpassing 100 degrees since Tuesday. Angels Camp reached 105 Thursday and Copperopolis reached 109, which were the highest temperatures reported to The Union Democrat this week. And Sonora recorded 102 degrees Wednesday and 99 Thursday.
Today is still expected to be hot, though less so, with the National Weather Service predicting highs ranging from 100-103 degrees in the lower elevations of the counties. Heat records for this week remain intact, however, at 109 degrees for Tuesday, 110 degrees for Wednesday and 110 for Thursday.
Public health departments in both counties issued heat advisories for the public and set up cooling stations. And some agencies, organizations and tourism destinations stayed busy helping people escape and cope with the oppressive weather.
“We’ve had a few people I hadn’t seen for a while,” said Tuolumne County Librarian Maggie Durgin.
The County Library’s Sonora branch iW one of 16 cooling centers in Tuolumne County set up by the local Extreme Temperature Contingency Plan. Residents without air conditioning can spend time in the cool setting, which also has cold water available.
Durgin said the library saw an uptick in visitors this week with the heat, and the library offers summer book clubs and events every week for residents looking for indoor activities.
“We’re close to the park here in Sonora. Parents taking their kids to the park can come here and do a little bit of cooling off,” she said.
Some local residents aren’t able to cool off so easy, many of whom receive services from Area 12 Agency on Aging. The organization offers services and programs to senior citizens in Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, Amador and Alpine counties.
Elderly individuals are more vulnerable in extreme heat than other local residents, said Area 12 Executive Director Pauline White. Much of that is physical, as people get dehydrated easier and are more susceptible to heat-related illness when they get older. But some of it is also economics, as low-income seniors can’t afford the additional energy costs to cool down.
“Even if a senior has air conditioning in their home or their apartments, often they won’t turn it on even though it’s important,” White said. “It’s a serious issue for older people.”
Because of those issues, Area 12 staff gears up some efforts ahead of a heat wave to make sure their clients are alright. They sent out educational materials about hydration and heat, make wellness calls and inform about wellness centers. White said in some extreme cases, with their limited funds available, they will fix a cooling unit and distribute small fans — something they did this week as well.
White said increasing accuracy in weather predictions has made it easier to do some of the work ahead of a hot stretch.
“They are really able to project what the weather is going to be over a pretty reasonable amount of time,” she said. “The really vulnerable seniors, we’re going to be working with them ahead of time.”
And for many who can, relief from the scorching temperatures is uphill where the elevation means cooler highs. Pinecrest Lake — a popular sanctuary for visitors from the Central Valley and lower foothills — had a busy week.
Pinecrest Lake Resort General Manager Laurie Cashman told The Union Democrat that she couldn’t necessarily attribute the busy days to the excessive heat, since July is always a busy time at the lake. But she did say there were “a lot of people around” on Thursday afternoon, when high temperatures barely reached 90 degrees in nearby Mi-Wuk Village.
“The water’s warm, so everybody’s swimming. It couldn’t be better,” Cashman said.
